Here at Increase Your Rank, we typically write about organic SEO and related strategies. However in the context of Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising, there are ways you can increase the rank of your paid ads without having to spend more money.

Improving the cost-effectiveness of your PPC ads centers on quality score. In this blog post, we are going to share with you 5 powerful strategies for ecommerce PPC - several of which can help bump up your quality scores and minimize the expenditure of ad spend. So let's dive right in.

Split-Testing

Ad copy is an often overlooked aspect to optimizing a Pay Per Click campaign. The copy in your ads can influence not only quality score, but also how search engine users respond to your ads. It is thus important that you split-test several ad variationsper ad group.

When you include the keywords in which you are bidding on in the copy of your ads, the relevancy factor helps to increase the quality score. Because of this, it's wise to use all or some of the keyword in the copy. Ecommerce PPC campaigns can have tons of ad groups with hundreds of ads, so sometimes testing more systematic PPC strategies is ideal.

One approach is using Dynamic Keyword Insertion. Using this strategy will help improve the keyword relevancy of you PPC ads by having the headline of your ads to replicate what the users searches. When using dynamic keyword insertion, you include a unique string in the headline like so:

Ad Headline = {KeyWord:Hair Loss Treatment}

The headline of the ad will be whatever the search engine user submits in Google. If a user's search query is more than 25 characters long (exceeding the headline character limit,) the alternative phrase "Hair Loss Treatment" will be displayed.

This ecommerce PPC strategy is effective in improving both CTR (click-through rates) as well as quality score. It will help to ensure that your ad is very targeted and relevant to whatever users are searching. You'll just want to be careful using this strategy if all of you competitors are using it too. This can be quite common for competitive, ecommerce/product-related keywords. Use dynamic keyword insertion wisely and avoid blending in with the ad clutter.

Try running 2-5 ad variations, depending on how many impressions a certain ad group is receiving. If you ads are getting a lot of exposure in little time, it makes more sense to split-test 3-4 ads, as opposed to just 2. Here you can try number of awesome strategies in you copy.

One cool approach is partial use of dynamic keyword insertion. For instance, we might write the headline to appear like:

Ad Extensions

Another powerful and cost-effective technique to improve the CTR of your ads is using ad extensions in Google AdWords. Ad extensions are tools that you can use to enhance the presentation of your ads, and there are many of them.

One of the most effective ad extensions is Site Links (shown in the image.) Here you can include links in your ad that direct users to specified inside pages of your website. Not only does this help facilitate conversions and overall usability, but using the Site Links ad extension can help make your ads more prominent and outstanding in the search results. This can be very effective for competitive keywords in an ecommerce context.

Another great ad extension for ecommerce PPC is product extensions. This will display an image for the specific product being advertised, which can really make your ads stand out from the clutter. For product-specific ads, testing the product extensions feature in Google AdWords is an effective strategy.

Keyword Bidding

Another technique to make your ecommerce PPC efforts more efficient is applying keyword bidding strategies like modified broad match. Unlike broad, "phrase," or [exact] keyword matching, modified broad match uses a "+" symbol in front of any keyword that must be included in the user's search query for your ad to appear.

For instance, if we bid on the keyword phrase +kids +organic +clothing, those three words must appear in the users search query for our ad to show up. (So "organic cotton clothing for kids" would trigger the ad, however "childrens organic clothes" would not.) This strategy can help ensure that you ads are being shown when users search long-tail keyword phrases with greater detail.

Another benefit of using modified broad match bidding is that the cost per click (CPC) for some keywords is significantly lower. You can try using creative bidding strategies like kids +organic +clothing. By leaving "kids" as a broad match, your ad can display for searches like "childrens organic clothing" because "childrens" and "kids" are related, with respect to Google's broad matching standards.

Summary

Ecommerce PPC advertising can be a complex endeavor, depending on the size and nature of the online store. Developing effective strategies for ecommerce PPC is essential to thrive amongst the competition. We suggest you employ these three strategies and start realizing greater PPC ROI.

The approaches to content marketing offer virtually endless options to promote your ideas as well as your business. Marketers can create and distribute content in various forms and through many different channels. The challenge is pairing the type of content (e.g. video, text, images, etc) with the ideal online channels to promote it.

Content Marketing for SEO

Content marketing hold immense potential for SEO. Sharing quality content can result in the content become popular and authoritative. This natural form of "link bait" can offer a powerful source for you as the SEO to build outbound links to your money site.

Additionally, great content can be optimized and found in the search engine results. If the content is compelling and leads visitors to acknowledge or learn more about the source, those individuals can find their way to your website. We call this inbound marketing which is one of the primary benefits of content marketing.

When creating a content marketing strategy, pinpoint the types of content are going to be the most relevant to your audience as well as most effective for your SEO efforts. This may take some research to determine the best techniques to connect with your target market. In addition, you'll want to take into consideration your overall SEO strategy. Are you pursuing local SEO, ecommerce SEO, or global SEO?

These factors will influence the nature of the content you produce. For instance, a local SEO strategy might call for content marketing ideas that have community or city focus. Below we share three examples of how content can be used to progress SEO.

Creating a Factual Infographic

Creating a solid infographic requires a combination of the right ideas and the right skills. A stellar infographic is outcome of interesting content that's presented in a well-organized visual fashion. The development of these compelling graphics combine the skills of graphic artist with the minds of marketing strategists, idea makers, and creative copywriters. The result of a good infographic can provide a number of benefits, including greater inbound traffic and link popularity for SEO.

When promoting an infographic, it is important to always include some attribution text, along with a link that points back to your site. The true hurdle in marketing such content is pinpoint the ideal social media sites to promote the infographic. The immediate platforms that are a must include Tumblr, Google+, Facebook, and StumbleUpon. Another creative idea for SEO is quest blogging your infographic. Guest blogging can offer tremendous SEO link building potential if the blog is a high authority domain with a high PageRank (PR).

Developing a Business Video for Local SEO

After the video is finished, the initial step is to ensure the video has been keyword optimized to maximize its local SEO potential. This will include properly establishing a YouTube channel as well as uploading the optimized video with proper geographic settings. The majority of this keyword optimization is done through the video's properties, along with the advanced settings feature on YouTube.

The actual marketing side of the video should emphasize social media with a more local approach. In many cases, local business websites, directories, and online resource sites with industry or topical relevance are ideal. Membership fees or payment may be required for some quality directories, however the SEO benefit of getting your video published on a credible, locally-relevant domain could be well worth the investment. Lastly, marketing the video via social media platforms like Vimeo, Google+, and Facebook can further increase its search visibility.

Writing a Hilarious Comic

The primary goal for you comic is to get it in front of as many people as possible. Anyone who may find the comic interesting or funny are prone to share it, depending on the social media marketing platform. In essence, a hilarious comic has immense link bait potential for search engine optimization. The outcome of a comic becoming very popular in social-sphere can naturally increase its PageRank, or link authority. For this reason, it critical to include supplementary content or author/creator attributions that include a link back to your website.

Be relentless when promoting any content with comical nature. That is, utilize all options to get the content out there. Social media platforms like Tumblr and StumbleUpon are ideal to release the true potential of the comic to go viral.

Well, that wraps up our three ideas for content marketing and how to use them for SEO. Do you have any questions, comments, or ideas that you'd like to share about content marketing? Let us know in the comments section below.

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a highly sought after service by business owners and marketers. Businesses seek to optimize their websites for better search engine rankings because higher ranking translates to higher traffic and consequently greater conversion potential.

You stand to offer a lot of marketing potential as an SEO professional because not only are the opportunities in search engine optimization are vast, but the demand is high. It is however, important that you be aware that gone are the days when simply writing great content and building links guaranteed a high ranking in SERPs.

It is important that you set realistic client expectations to ensure that your clients are not disillusioned while investing in an SEO campaign. Setting realistic client expectations will better guarantee your services are appreciated, paid for, and later earn referral clients.

New SEO Clients

If you are dealing with a new client, make sure that he/she understands that only sites that are at least several years old get consistent SEO results. There is intense competition and even keywords and keyword phrases that people are not searching for are often difficult to get high ranking with.

Ensure the client understands that it is possible to get a high ranking a few weeks, however only if the competitive nature for those keywords is moderate to low. Ensure your clients understand that an SEO campaign will only be effective if it is done on a long-term basis.

Qualified Leads

Make your clients understand that targeted traffic is more important than a high ranking on SERPs. Focus in the SEO industry is shifting away from having a particular keyword in a particular position in a particular search engine to how the keyword can be used to generate targeted Web traffic. Targeted Web traffic is desirable because people who know what you are offering and who are interested in the same are more likely to buy from you. In other words, quality beats quantity when it comes to online traffic.

It is unfortunate that most website owners who are searching for SEO services only look at the smaller picture and insist that the SEO company guarantees high ranking in search engine results pages (such as a high PageRank or PR on Google). If you ask most website owners what they want from an SEO campaign, most will give you such answers as “a top-4 ranking in Google/Yahoo! for my keywords.” Make sure your clients understand that a good business goal is something like “to bring many people who want the specific product/service I sell to my site”.

Assess the Competition

Although a high ranking in SERPs is desirable, the truth is that a lot of effort, time, and money go into this because of the high competition, especially for ecommerce SEO. Whatever you are selling, note that there are probably thousands, if not millions, of other sites that are offering the same thing or something similar and that use keywords and keyword phrases similar to yours. Even the best SEO company will not magically wave a magic wand or snap its finger for you to have a high ranking in SERPs. A high ranking in SERPs will be of no use if it does not add value to your business.

Does this mean that search engine optimization is dead? The simple answer is that it does not. SEO’s sole focus of attaining the number one ranking in SERPs for the best keywords has changed. Do not expect to do well with such a keyword as “best motorcycle helmet” because there are thousands of outlets, online and offline, selling motorcycle helmets.

Ask your clients to broaden their horizons and to see the bigger picture. Whenever a client tells you to help him/her attain a number one ranking in a particular search engine’s SERP, point out ways of fixing the website for it to attract more target traffic. Focus on improvements that will help the website design will work for users and search engines alike. Point out to your clients that they need not focus on “money phrases” and they need not insist that these phrases appear on all Web pages in their websites. Make them understand that there are other related keywords and keyword phrases that people are typing into their search engines every day.

Content is King

Most website owners create content for the sake of creating new content. They can be forgiven for this because the SEO industry has been insisting on good content for many years now. The word ‘great content’ has been thrown around for so long that few understand what it means today. Content creation services are so numerous that they have created a whole cottage industry.

There are even some content creation services that ‘rent’ content. Ensure that your clients understand that great content does not mean spam pages with the keyword substituted from one Web page to the next and it does not mean describing your products’ history. Ensure your clients understand that great content is content meant for the readers, not for search engines.

So, what makes great web content?

1) Great Web content is unique. The content should have creative ideas that nobody else in your industry has thought of. Being creative means you do not simply copy from your competitors.

2) You must be an industry leader. You must be willing to raise your voice and express your opinions, regardless of what people think of them.

3) You must be willing to pour your soul and heart into the website, not simply looking for quick fixes.

4) Great content takes care of Web users and search engines alike.

5) Great content is content that helps you get targeted Web traffic.

If you explain this to your clients, they will understand that generating quality content is neither easy nor fast, but once done, it will give lasting positive results.

Explain to potential clients that they must first determine their true goals before they call you. Explain to your clients that there are many SEO companies that promise more than they can deliver. A company that tells you it will deliver a number one ranking in a short time is simply after your money.

Building links to your webpages is the powerful method and highly sought after services for search engine optimization (SEO). Because of the immense potential behind link building, the practices of many SEO's has become a bit sketchy and unethical. As a result, Google has implemented measures (Penguin update) in its search engine to target websites over optimized backlinks. That is, Google may penalize a website with too many backlinks that are clearly built for keyword targeting and SEO.

Optimized backlinks are links that have anchor text with a keyword target. A natural backlink would be a URL or domain (.com or .org). There are even semi optimized backlinks which have a portion of the keyword target, however it may not be in exact phrase match form. The sites that are being penalized are those with too great a ratio of optimized backlinks, thus deeming them "over optimized."

The Google Penguin Update has shaken the world of SEO. As a result, it is now more important than ever to build a natural backlink portfolio when optimizing your website. The most mind set to have while doing this is to ensure the links pointing to your pages have a blend of natural and optimized anchor text. In essence, you must create diversity in your backlink portfolio.

Diversifying Your Backlinks

To maximize the natural appearance of your site's backlink portfolio, there should be diversity in the anchor text profile. Before Penguin, most SEO's would use exact phrase match anchor text. However now, this needs to be mixed up with various other forms of anchor text, such as your product name, your company name, and other branded keywords as well as naked links (such as your URL). Other good strategies for using semi-optimized anchor text is using broad-match keywords that have additional, non-targeted keywords, synonymous (such as "attorney" instead of "lawyer," and action words such as "click here" and "learn more."

It is also important to diversify where you build your backlinks. It is essential that your links have contextual relevancy. That is, the content in which the link is built must have some relevancy to that of the link. So a link with the anchor text website optimization should be in a blog post, article, or on a page about website optimization. Search engine spiders are smart, and they'll will recognize the contextual relevancy of your backlinks. Not relevant backlinks can discredit their value.

Site's can further naturalize their backlink portfolio by having a have a blend of link sources. This includes a combination of contextual links (backlinks in the copy of an article/blog post), blogroll links, images links, footer links, and so on. Additionally, having backlinks that come for a wide range of (topically related) website also contributes to a natural backlink portfolio. This includes a blend of high and low authority pages (based on Google PageRank) as well as articles, blog posts, blog comments, forum posts, tweets, and other content sources.

Diversifying your backlinks is a lot of work in terms of off-page optimization, but it can really pay off. Again, link building is the most important practices for SEO's and website optimizers, so conduct your efforts wisely.

Naturalizing Your Backlinks

By now you should know the common nature of backlinks and how they impact SEO and website optimization. Below we offer some techniques to naturalizing your backlink portfolio. These ideas are to help you start thinking outside the box when it comes to link building.

1) Guest Blogging: If you can produce quality content that offers value to a select reader-base, then guest blogging can be a momentous opportunity for link building. With guest blogging, you must seek blogs that pertain to your topic and ask the webmaster or blog owner if you can contribute content to the blog. You'll want to define the terms in regards to the backlinks you are able to build. If you can get your link-infused content published on a high authority blog, then you can rock your SEO efforts.

2) Google+: Google+ is Google’s own social networking site and it therefore goes without saying that creating a Google+ profile will help your SEO campaign. This can be very advantageous for inbound marketing and SEO for ecommerce sites. Encourages social interaction to attain more +1s and shares since they will increase the value of your links. Try posting links with short descriptions of your new content or articles in your Google+ profile.

3) Blogrolls: If you have a nice arsenal of blogs that you use for content marketing and link building, use your blogrolls or sidebars to build links. Use this to build natural links, not only to your money pages, but also to your articles and other web properties that might contain link juice. The idea is pass authority to these web properties by spreading PageRank power (or PR.)

4) Blog commenting: Leave comments on high authority blogs with industry or contextual relevancy can help naturalize your backlink portfolio. Most people think this is a waste of time, however this only makes the entire backlink portfolio look natural. Keep in mind that a website or blog that has a high PageRank offers a lot more link weight.

5) Directory listing: Seek for listing in quality directories such as social media directories, government directories like the local offices, general business directories, trade organizations, and local online and offline directories.

6) Link exchanges: Link exchanges should only be done with quality websites that are highly trusted. They could be with your suppliers, customers, or resellers. You could even have dedicated Web pages on your product/brand on their sites. You could ask customers who have blogs to write on your brand.

7) Resource links: Identify industry websites that are related to what you offer and that have resource links listing resources that are similar to your resources. Contact the Webmasters of these websites and ask for links. Give a reason why your site should be listed.

It is not uncommon to see the terms web design and web development used in the same context. Although these aspects of building a website are related, they both focus on specific aspects of the website.

The roles of web designers and web developers are integrated in many ways. Both web design and development are centered on website creation, testing, and analysis. However when it comes to aspects of website usability and optimization, determining who is responsible is an overlapping issue.

Some individuals are capable of performing both web design and development executions. Yet when website programming and technical abilities are required, the niche skills of each are often more respects. Whether you're looking for a freelancer web designer or full-service agency to work with, below we depict the roles of both website designers and developers.

Facets of Web Design

The web design process emphasizes the layout, which centers on the use and placement of images, graphics, and content. This is otherwise known as the front-end look and feel off a website. Web designers utilize such tools as Adobe InDesign and Photoshop as well as scripting techniques HTML to implement coding for certain website design elements.

Additionally, web designers will often team up with usability strategists and copywriters. In some instances, a good website designer can be called upon to do usability testing for the website, include aspects of assessing website load speed and user navigation. More often than not, these are elements that are best pursued in a group setting (due to the subject nature of website creation,) so many professionals can offer input for the best outcome.

Web Development

Web development in centered on the core functionality of websites. To be specific, this emphasizes website programming, scripting, as well as the testing of usability and functions, such as an on-site search engine. A web development programmer can create the required functionalities and processes, and integrate them into a website’s HTML and script. This can be simple development executions, as well as more complex programming tasks, such as database development.

More times often than not, web designers and web developers work together for the optimal results. A good web design company has a team of graphic artists, web designers, copywriters, and programmers as well as all the tools and resources needed to ensure the final product is a well performing website.

Integrating Web Design and Development

When we integrate the components of web design and website development into one core process, some of the aspects that found most important include:

* Website Layout: this focuses on the image graphic placement, Peoria web design column structure, color scheme, and the overall look and feel of a website.

* Website Usability: this emphasizes on on-site organization of pages and functionality between those pages. When working on usability, web developers must ensure that all web applications work properly, the layout of the website portrays the proper organization, the website loads quickly, and the navigation directs visitors where they should go. This also address aspects to ensure the creation of a SEO friendly website for search engine optimization.

* Website Functionality: refers to the interactive features of a site, such as search engines, animation, and other user-oriented aspects of the site. Programmers use different Web programming languages meant for Web browsers or Web servers to create the necessary functions. JavaScript facilitates cool effects on browser.

* Website Content refers to the text found on the site including the privacy policy and product information. Content creation is best done by a professional copywriter.